Discourse analysis of foreign aid strategies: A comparative study of the UK and Sweden

Foreign aid is an integral aspect of international cooperation. The complexity and controversy of foreign aid has sparked a debate about the capacity of aid to foster development. This paper analyses the underlying discourses of UK and Sweden’s foreign aid strategies. Dryzek’s discourse analysis model was used in this paper to assess the respective aid strategies of the UK and Sweden and describe how foreign aid actors view and understand developmental issues. Foreign aid strategies have been applied to various development contexts such as economic growth, basic needs, human capabilities, and the goal achievement like the Millennium Development Goals and the current Sustainable Development Goals. Additionally, geostrategic, economical, and political factors orientate aid strategies. The comparison between aid strategies of the UK and Sweden shows that the UK and Swedish discourses emphasise on democratic states and individuals as key factors for a sustain development in recipient countries. Their discourses, however, differ in their approach to effectiveness of aid and the conditions they use around aid